08 November 2011

A must watch, Want to know what's behind the Greek Debt? Ever heard of 'Odious Debt'? In international law, odious debt is a legal theory that holds that the national debt incurred by a regime for purposes that do not serve the best interests of the nation, should not be enforceable. Such debts are, thus, considered by this doctrine to be personal debts of the regime that incurred them and not debts of the state.

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TAGS: PGOVPRELROSUBJECT: DNI NEGROPONTE MEETING WITH OPPOSITION PSD PRESIDENT MIRCEA GEOANA
Classified By: Amb. Nicholas Taubman for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1. (C) Summary: At a meeting with DNI Negroponte and the
Ambassador, opposition PSD head Mircea Geoana evinced concern
about a posssible post-EU accession malaise in Romanian
politics, with weak and divided governance for the next
several years. Geoana was skeptical about prospects for
early elections and favored creation of a "grand coalition"
of leading moderate parties on the German model. On
attitudes towards the U.S., Geoana said some "rebalancing"
between Romania's "transatlanticist" and "European"
orientations might take place, but geopolitics assured that
Romania's fundamentally transatlanticist orientation was
"safe" for at least two more generations. Geoana argued for a
regional solution to the Kosovo issue, noting that the
international community could move relatively fast on Kosovar
independence if it was linked to a renewed commitment to the
Balkan region as a whole. With EU entry for many Balkan
nations unlikely, NATO had to pick up the slack as default
"mentor" in the region. Geoana argued that Romania was
wasting an opportunity to work with new Eastern European
members of the EU in creating a new "Vilnius Group"
encompassing the Baltics to the Black Sea. On intelligence
matters, Geoana encouraged new links between Romanian
parliamentary committees overseeing the intelligence
community and their US counterparts. End Summary.
¶2. (C) Opposition PSD President Mircea Geoana met with
Director of National Intelligence Negroponte and Ambassador
Taubman October 29. Geoana prefaced the meeting by comparing
Romania's political scene to an ice skating competition;
Romania had performed superbly in the obligatory routines
needed for acceptance into all of the right clubs--WTO, NATO,
and now the European Union--but it was uncertain whether it
could do as well in the "freestyle" segment now that the
constraints of candidacy were lifted. He said Romanian
politics exemplified the lack of an overall strategic vision
among Romania's political leaders as well as a vicious
political culture that stressed the "total demolition" of
one's political enemies.
¶3. (C) Geoana was skeptical about prospects for early
elections, noting that elections for the European Parliament
would likely occur in May 2007, with municipal elections in
June 2008 and a Presidential election taking place in 2009.
President Basescu was alone in pushing for early elections,
hoping to capitalize on his current high popularity ratings.
Basescu also feared that a weak PD showing in future
municipal elections could erode his prospects in the
Presidential contest. Geoana opined that a reshuffle among
coalition partners was possible depending on how long Prime
Minister Tariceanu survived. Tariceanu was weakened, but
still fighting for his political life. Geoana warned that if
Tariceanu goes, Romania could return to the "piranha
politics" of the 1990s, with Basescu installing a more
compliant puppet as Prime Minister.
¶4. (C) Regarding future coalition combinations, Geoana said
that anything was possible, including continuation of the
PD/PNL alliance; a strong PD combined with satellite parties;
a PD/PSD alliance, or even a PSD/PNL government. Two likely
options included a "new majority" centered around Basescu, or
some sort of "grand coalition" akin to Germany. The latter
option (which he preferred) would use as a pretext the need
for mainstream Romanian parties to collectively meet the
challenges of EU membership. A PD/PNL merger was unlikely
given the liberals' pride in their 100-year history and
traditions. Geoana anticipated that the next two and half
years could prove an extraordinarily "unconstructive" time
for Romanian politics, with political paralysis and loss of
momentum after the January 1 EU accession. Romania risked
following in Poland's footsteps in mismanaging the first few
years after EU entry, providing an opening for extremist and
populist voices to dominate Romanian politics in the future.
¶5. (C) On attitudes towards the United States, Geoana said
that Romania was currently so pro-American that one had to
anticipate a future rebalancing between its
"transatlanticist" and "European" orientations. Geography
would never allow Romania to "relax" and hence the current
security construction with the United States was safe for at
least two more generations. He added that the U.S. shouldn't
take Romania's future pro-US orientation for granted or
assume that it would be automatic. Geoana added that while he
didn't like the President, he had to admit that Basecsu was
"solid" with regards to his transatlanticist inclinations.
Geoana also noted the need to develop new institutions to
anchor US-Romanian ties after USAID pulled out. These might
include the Black Sea Trust Fund, the Aspen Institute, even
the Harvard Club.He added that it was not a question of USG
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funding, since there was now a huge network of influential
Romanians who knew and loved the United States, including
many corporate leaders.¶6. (C) On Kosovo, Geoana said that Kosovar independence must
be linked to a "package" of measures for the Balkan region as
a whole. Bringing Croatia into the EU and NATO without
accounting for the rest of the Balkans was the wrong
strategy. With the right "package", the international
community could move relatively fast in terms of fostering
Kosovo's independence, but changing the status quo in Kosovo
must be backed by a renewed commitment to the Balkan region
on the part of NATO and the EU. Geoana was doubtful that
Macedonia or Alabania were capable of qualifying for EU
accession, thus handing NATO the default role of "mentor" to
these states. Geoana argued for a strategy other than just
"punishing" the Serbs, noting that the Serbian military
understood what had to be done, but the Serbian public was
still "intoxicated" with the idea of retaining Kosovo.
Geoana added that the upcoming German EU Presidency was an
opportunity for the United States to work closely with
Chancellor Merkel on Kosovo. The relative weakness or lame
duck status of other European leaders gave Merkel the
opportunity to demonstrate that she could be a "global
leader" on this and other issues. Geoana suggested that with
the right preparation, Merkel would be receptive to working
in tandem with President Bush on a renewed Kosovo strategy as
part of Germany's bid for a successful EU presidency.
¶7. (C) Comparing Russia to "an athlete on steroids" Geoana
said that he saw both Ukraine and Moldova slowly bending to
growing Russian pressure, with Georgia increasingly isolated
through Russian energy politics and other "booby traps" from
Moscow. Geoana also accused President Basescu of harboring
plans to trade Moldovan unification with Romania for tacit
acquiescence to allowing Transnistria to become a Russian-run
"Kaliningrad" to the east. Geoana said Romania was wasting an
opportunity to work with new Eastern European members of the
EU in creating a "new European neighborhood policy" from the
Baltics to the Black Sea, acting as a Vilnius Group writ
large that could influence EU policy towards the East.
¶8. (C) On intelligence matters, Geoana said that the PSD had
agreed to Senator Maior becoming the head of Romania's
internal service. He said that it was "refreshing" to see a
new generation take over the intelligence services given the
need to remove the taint of the Ceaucescu-era Securitate, but
both Maior and SRI Director Saftoiu were inexperienced and
"needed help." He said that he was trying to institute a
"new rule" in Romanian politics that the domestic
intelligence directorship always go to an opposition
politician, adding that this was a "precondition" for sending
"one of our best young guys" for the post. Geoana also
encouraged the DNI to promote contacts between Romanian
parliamentary committees overseeing intelligence matters with
their counterparts in the United States, as this would be an
investment in a more democratic Romania and a better
respected intelligence service.
¶9. (C) Comment: Mircea Geoana's views carrry some weight as
he is the heir presumptive in any future coalition government
involving the PSD. His views on many issues--including his
fundamentally transatlanticist orientation, his comments on
Kosovo, and remarks on the desirability of creating an
Eastern European bloc within the EU--track closely with those
shared by many of his ruling coalition counterparts,
underscoring that what separates the PSD from the ruling PD
and PNL are frequently matters involving personalities,
parties, and political nuance, not ideology or policy.
Geoana's skepticism regarding the likelihood of early
elections, on the other hand, reflects the fact that the
PSD's prospects are not encouraging if President Basescu
succeeds in getting an early election contest. End Comment.
Taubman

01 August 2011

Reading the press or listening to the TV news you could be forgiven for thinking that these organisations are tied a the hip. What are the facts? According to Karen Greenberg in Guardian America CiF: "According to the National Counterterrorism Centre, al-Shabaab's links to al-Qaida have not reached the organisational level; it can therefore in no way be classified as a strong partner in the al-Qaida network. To quote from the NCC's website: "While most of [Shabaab's] fighters are predominantly interested in the nationalistic battle against the TFG and not supportive of global jihad, al-Shabaab's senior leadership is affiliated with al-Qaida, and certain extremists aligned with al-Shabaab are believed to have trained and fought in Afghanistan." A summary report by the Council on Foreign Relations concurs: "Experts say there are links between individual al-Shabaab leaders and individual members of al-Qaida, but any organizational linkage between the two groups is weak, if it exists at all."

"a number of unsubstantiated reports based on anonymous military sources began flooding the Internet claiming that US forces were already being readied for a full-scale ground invasion of Libya.

The alleged military sources at the US Army's Fort Hood base in Texas, where these preparations were said to be taking place, revealed to the Infowars.com website that the invasion was being planned for October. This report spawned a wave of similar extrapolations on the theme of a potential escalation in Libya, again with little solid evidence to back them up."

"The exercise is designed to test the capability of every type of Marine Corps aircraft, including MV-22 Ospreys and F/A 18 Hornets, as well as some Navy ships and Air Force planes.

The drill will stretch from Quantico Marine Base in northern Virginia to the Navy's Pinecastle Bombing Range in Florida.

With thousands of Marines and other service members involved, it's the biggest such drill ever on the U.S. East Coast."

But that's not all: in a small Spanish provincial news paper, the Diario Cadiz, there is also a world exclusive.

We find that there is a major US military exercise happening at this very moment and until Friday on the south coast of Spain at Barbate not far from Cape Trafalgar which go under the name of Phiflex 2011. However, if you do a search of Phiflex 2011 the only mention comes from the local Spanish newspaper: The Diario de Cadiz (which also covers the US base at Rota).

2400 US marines including the Marine Expeditionary Force are practicing beach assaults and landings.

This goes under the cover of joint exercises with the Spanish armed forces, who, however, are only providing 380 marines along with Piranha armoured fighting vehicles and Harrier jets.

According to the Diario de Cadiz there are up to 4 aircraft carriers participating, along with US planes.

Now it may be just the time of year but there is certainly a lot of marine activity right now.

29 May 2011

"Britain is training Saudi Arabia's national guard – the elite security force deployed during the recent protests in Bahrain – in public order enforcement measures and the use of sniper rifles. The revelation has outraged human rights groups, which point out that the Foreign Office recognises that the kingdom's human rights record is "a major concern"."

"The MoD response, obtained yesterday by the Observer, reveals that Britain sends up to 20 training teams to the kingdom a year. Saudi Arabia pays for "all BMM personnel, as well as support costs such as accommodation and transport".Bahrain's royal family used 1,200 Saudi troops to help put down demonstrations in March. At the time the British government said it was "deeply concerned" about reports of human rights abuses being perpetrated by the troops.
"Britain's important role in training the Saudi Arabian national guard in internal security over many years has enabled them to develop tactics to help suppress the popular uprising in Bahrain," said Nicholas Gilby of the Campaign Against Arms Trade."

Here is the text of my letter to Nick Clegg:

Sir,
I find it hard to understand how you can look yourself in the mirror with the absolutely scandalous news that British troops are training "Saudi Arabia's national guard – the elite security force deployed during the recent protests in Bahrain – in public order enforcement measures and the use of sniper rifles."
I repeat: this is a scandal of the highest order and I demand action to cease this forthwith, considering the F.O considers S.A.'s human rights record as "a major concern".
It is even more scandalous considering the supposed backing your government and party have been giving to the Arab Spring and knowing that Bahrain used 1200 Saudi troops to help put down demonstrations in March amid reports of the use of snipers in putting down said demonstrations.
Isn't it time you put your power hunger to one side and started looking after human rights issues. Or is it that you quite frankly don't give a damn.?&lt;div class="statcounter"&gt;&lt;a class="statcounter" href="http://www.statcounter.com/blogger/" title="blogspot visitor counter"&gt;&lt;img alt="blogspot visitor counter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/5311659/0/b58d3ec7/1/" class="statcounter"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

25 April 2011

The Guardia Civil patrol were chasing a suspect vessel at high speeds. The vessel had come from Morocco and was trying to make for Gibraltar, where no doubt they had paid off the police and the Navy, when they were intercepted by the Guardia Civil fast patrol boat. The occupants of the unknown vessel started desperately to throw bales overboard but were apprehended 3 kms from the Rock by the Guardia Civil.

Suddenly they were surrounded by 5 or 6 vessels from the Gibraltar Customs, Gibraltar Police and the Royal Navy and subjected to threats and insults. The Guardia Civil finally managed to extricate themselves and their capture and returned to Algeciras port with the 2 occupants under arrest and over 100 kgs of hashish confiscated.

Gibraltar and Britain are trying to claim that Gibraltar has territorial waters, however, the Treaty of Utrecht gives no territorial waters to Gibraltar apart from the waters of its port. And in their efforts to claim these waters it appears the Gibraltarians don't give a fuck whether drug gangs, criminals get away.

Let's face it, Gibraltar is and always has been a safe haven for pirates, thieves, and crooks.

Irgun was considered a terrorist organisation not only by the British authorities at the time (& Winston Churchill & the NYT) but also by the brand new Israeli government itself, which passed the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance in 1948 with the specific purpose of eliminating Irgun (& the other Zionist terrorist organisation, Lehi aka the Stern Gang). If one examines the list of Irgun attacks from 1937 on, one can see that they include indiscriminate attacks on civilians: bombs planted on trains, buses, and in cafés and cinemas, thrown into crowded markets - there is even record of a donkey-bomb killing 20 civilians in Haifa market - not to mention the truck bombs, shootings and assassinations of British officials and the bombing of the King David Hotel. Let us also not forget the Deir Yassin massacre carried out by Irgun and the assassination of the UN Mediator and President of the Swedish Red Cross: Count Folke Bernadotte which lead directly to the passing of the 1948 Israel Terrorism Act..

Further, considering that all these crimes constitute 'terrorism' under the definitions in the UK Terrorism Act 2000, one wonders exactly why Robin Yapp prefers to call the Irgun an 'underground paramilitary movement'. And in order to maintain impartiality will he and the Telegraph now be referring to Hamas as a 'Palestinian underground paramilitary movement'?

27 January 2011

Inspired by the Tunisian revolution against its dictatorial president and government, protestors in Egypt, Yemen, Algeria, Jordan and Albania have taken to the streets, and up to 4 Moroccans have set themselves on fire. Reports are even coming in of an Egyptian stock market crash.

One just has to look at what the majority of people have been demonstrating against in these countries to wonder why these revolutions haven't yet hit the US: chronic unemployment and government corruption, something in abundance in the US.

I person in 7 - that's 15% of the population, or 45 million Americans - are poor according to Associated Press. There are well over 15 million officially unemployed. But the US considers the labour force the number of people employed plus the number unemployed but seeking work, while it considers the non-labour force tincludes those who are not looking for work, those who are institutionalised (eg prison) and those serving in the military. And its the shrinking numbers of the actual labour force that keeps the unemployment rate from going through the roof.

One must ask if they're brain dead too, as one wonders why they aren't all out in the streets...&lt;div class="statcounter"&gt;&lt;a class="statcounter" href="http://www.statcounter.com/blogger/" title="blogspot visitor counter"&gt;&lt;img alt="blogspot visitor counter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/5311659/0/b58d3ec7/1/" class="statcounter"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

19 January 2011

The UK's most senior civil servant, Sir Gus O'Donnell, is covering up crimes against peace. According to the Guardian:

"Britain's top civil servant, Sir Gus O'Donnell, is preventing the official inquiry into the Iraq invasion from publishing notes sent by Tony Blair to George W Bush - evidence described by the inquiry as of "central importance" in establishing the circumstances that led to war.

O'Donnell, the cabinet secretary, consulted Blair before suppressing the documents, it emerged tonight."

What has the UK country become? How is it possible that in this day and age, unelected officials can have so much power? It's completely anti-democratic. Someone somewhere should take this man to court for covering up evidence of a crime.

Chilcott has written to this unelected, anti-democratic official at least 3 times and has received the same fobbing off each time: 'The Cabinet Office said: "There is an established convention covering papers of a previous administration whereby former ministers would normally be consulted before release of papers from their time in government."'

So what the Cabinet Office is really saying is that if Hitler had been British, it would have been impossible to release any papers without his consent, a full two fingers, basically telling the British electorate to fuck off.

It's high time that 'conventions' like this were made illegal by law. Or that there be a higher law that makes these conventions non-binding in cases of possible criminal conduct.

Somebody ought to have a serious word in O'Donnell's ear and tell him that if he doesn't release these papers it's off to the Hague with him. These fucking civil servants, they think they're so civilised yet they're nothing more than common criminals...

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About Me

"I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it. "

-- John Stuart Mill

"The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It's a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis." -